Unoriginal
by TheHeroBlade
Summary: A set of five adventurers embark on a quest to locate the lost mine of Phandalin, a frontier town sacked centuries ago by orcs. Based on the module provided in the D&D Starter Set for 5th edition.


**Author's Note:** The following is based on the short adventure "Lost Mine of Phandelver" published by Wizards of The Coast. It was inculded as part of a starter set I bought at Wal-Mart in my shithole hometown and inspired me to write my experience with it. The characters are based off the pregenerated characters provided within the box set, but with my own twists. Anyways, it was a good purchase and I'd recommend this product to anyone interested in D&amp;D or would like to play it. Enjoy. And I may continue it after this module depending on popularity and my enjoyment from writing it. R&amp;R respectfully, thank you.

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**The Party:**

**Ricard Bersk:** A male human fighter from Damara, a kingdom to the northeast of Faerun. His family were craftsmen that lived in Thundertree until Mount Hotenow erupted, destroying much of the village. During his early life, his parents drifted from village to village working as servants and laborers before settling in Neverwinter. As a teenager, he worked as a porter and grunt in the city's bustling docks until he gathered enough coin to fund his first adventures. From early on, it was clear that he was destined for a greater purpose and after standing up to an abusive captain once, others began to look up to him. He is strong-willed and once he sets his mind to a goal, he always intends to follow through. His most important ideal is sincerity, believing it is no good to pretend to be something he's not. His biggest aspiration is to be a champion of honor and integrity, the kind that will be honored as a statue in his hometown's square. His biggest shortcoming is his arrogance. He is convinced of the significance of his destiny and blind to his shortcomings and risk of failure. However, he also isn't very intelligent, so resorts to using big words in order to make himself sound smart.

**Leshanna Amastacia:** A female high elf wizard in the service of Oghma, god of knowledge. She grew up in an elf village called Wenshara as a child until she entered the service of her chosen deity. For over two decades, she lived in the temple studying her craft until she felt a new calling, to put her knowledge to use and the good of all races. Her journeys took her to Neverwinter where she met a fiery young man named Ricard and developed something akin to friendship with him. Occasionally she goes by the name "Starflower", her surname in its Common equivalent. She has little experience with people due to her time in the temple and can struggle to interact with others on a casual level. In dialogue, she frequently uses longer words to give the impression of erudition, but unlike Ricard, actually knows what they mean. Her passion is for knowledge; the path to power and self-improvement. Her fatal flaw is a thirst for knowledge, meaning she will do just about anything that would add to her ken and experience. Her prized possession is her spellbook, which holds everything she has learned and is her life's work, meaning she is incredibly protective of it, even though she believes in sharing her knowledge freely.

**Alton Goodbarrel:** A male halfling rogue from Neverwinter. His family is a well-respected member of the city, although he is considered the black sheep of the clan. He adores his aunt Qelline Alderlead who owns a farm in Phandalin. In his career as a thief, he joined the Redbrands in Phandalin to prey on those who had gotten wealthy from the nearby mines and ruins, and always provided his aunt with a portion of his wealth, although he was always careful to keep his connections to the thieves's guild hidden from his aunt. Recently, someone in the Redbrands tried to have him killed, forcing him to flee back to Neverwinter. He never has a plan, but thinks quickly on his feet and makes up things as he goes along. He has a rebellious streak and the best way to get him to do something is to tell him he can't do it. He feels the deepest connection with his friends and will do anything to protect them. He has little care or need for ideals and virtues, instead looking out for himself, his aunt, and his allies. He is a little quirky and easily makes friends. He came to know Gardain as a friend at a pub in Neverwinter, where the dwarf offered him a few odd jobs including the latest one escorting a caravan to Phandalin. Alton figures this is fate telling him it is time to deal with the Redbrands and enact his revenge.

**Mardred Ironfist: **A female dwarf cleric, Mardred is a mercenary in the service of Marthammor Duin, the dwarven god of wanderers, travelers, and outcasts - those who move among strange lands and foreign peoples. Trained as a soldier on the island of Mintarn, she traveled to Neverwinter as part of a company of sellswords that acts as city watch and army of the city. She quickly grew disillusioned with her comrades, who enjoyed to throw their weight around and bully the people they were supposed to serve. Eventually, everything came to head when she ignored an order and followed her conscience. She was suspended from active duty, although she retained her rank and connection to the mercenary band. Since then, she has devoted herself to her deity and began a quest for enlightenment. She is always polite and respectful, but openly speaks her mind. However, she doesn't trust her gut feelings and tends to wait for others to act. Her primary virtue is respect. She believes people deserve to be treated with dignity and courtesy. In the region she has two cousins - Gardain and Vondal Rockseeker - who live in Phandalin and are respected clan members. Secretly, she wonders if the gods are even interested in mortal affairs, although she doesn't let this get in the way of her mission. Recently, she has heard of a gang of bandits in Phandalin who, like her former employers, enjoy to terrorize the people of the village. She has made it a personal quest to drive the thugs out of the frontier village and has contacted Gardain about travelling to Phandalin.

**Darius Archyr:** A male human fighter born to a noble house from Neverwinter where his mother and father held the title of countess and count until the eruption of Mount Hotenow that destroyed their estate on Corlinn Hill. Instead of being raised in a grand mansion, he was born in a small, but comfortable town house in Waterdeep. As an adult, he stands to inherit a meaningless title and little else. Returning to Neverwinter, Darius has made it his destiny to restore his family's legacy and rebuild the fortune his family once owned. Rebuilding the manor on Corlinn Hill is impractical, thanks to the volcano, but a small village in the region called Phandalin has arisen from the ashes and needs a leader to take the reins and restore law and order. Being no stranger to wealth and power, Darius is naturally prone to greed and the promise of coin. Despite that, Darius is actually a great man with excellent character and rather charismatic, using flattery to make others feel important and inspired by his words. Archyr (which he is also known by) dislikes getting dirty and will not abide by unsuitable accommodations. His personal treasure is his family's longsword which was an heirloom handed down to him. It is a symbol of his office and heritage. Finally, Darius's defining virtue is responsibility. As a noble, he believes it is the responsibility of the elite to protect common people, not abuse them. He hates chaos and disapproves of potentially evil actions, although there is some grey area.

**Chapter 1: The Black Arrow:**

A wagon rolled down the dusty trail of Triboar, pulled by two oxen as it rambled down the rocky path. A halfling sat on the driving seat, holding the reins of the workbeasts, humming a little tune to himself. In the cart rode a human dressed in chainmail and dwarf female honing a axe-blade idlely. Outside, on either side of the cart a human and elf walked in step with the cart, carefully scanning the edges of the narrow road. The human, a man named Ricard Bersk, scoured the thick trees through narrowed eyes, tense and ready to react to the slightest hint of danger. The other human, Darius Archyr, chortled and spoke. "Relax, Ricard, I doubt dragons will swoop down on us at any moment," he said dismissively. "It's been three days since we set out with the cargo and not the slightest hint of trouble has reached our caravan."

Ricard glared at the noble, but didn't say anything and resumed his watch. Darius scoffed and turned away, looking at the dwarf and the road ahead. "How much farther?" he asked.

The dwarf considered his inquiry then answered, "About another six hours at our current pace, plus one more rest along the way."

Darius shrugged and glanced at the cargo, which was a shipment of mining supplies and food for the village of Phandalin, which was their destination. "Have you been to this frontier village, Mardred? What's it like?" he wondered.

Mardred shook her head. "My cousin says it was built on the ruins of an older city that was sacked by orcs and is known for its rich mineral resources, but that's all I've heard," she replied.

"Does it have a lord or ruling family?"

"I can't say for certain, Gardain never mentioned it."

Darius considered his thought for a while. A small village like this would be an excellent hold for his start and restore at least some glory to his family. However, right now, he was little better than a mercenary, guarding a shipment of goods for a dwarf in exchange for a mere 10 gold dragons, only a taste of his family's former wealth. Ever since Mount Hotenow erupted it seemed his family was living on the brink of poverty, only slightly better off than the common people, which explained why he was in the company he currently was. He thought back to the preposition the dwarf had offered him and last words he had said before setting off ahead with a mage named Sildar. The dwarf had seemed excited and dropped hints about finding "something big" before departing on horseback. "What is he up to?" wondered Darius.

"Hm?" asked Mardred.

Darius blinked and realized he had spoken aloud. "Oh, er, nothing," he replied. Suddenly the cart stopped and Darius sat up. "What's going on? It isn't time for a rest, we've still got to get a few more miles before we reach Phandalin," he demanded.

"You might want to see this," replied the halfling, Alton.

Curious, the human stood up and jumped down from the cart to join Ricard and the elf on the other side. Ricard had his axe drawn and Darius understood why. A few feet away, around the bend of the road two horses pierced with arrows lay prone across the road, flies swarming the corpses. Darius reached for his blade and quickly glanced at his surroundings. "What in Ao's name happened?" he mummured.

"Those are Gardain's and Sildar's horses," observed Leshanna Amastacia, the elf mage, as Mardred joined them. When the cleric heard this, her face went pale and her hands trembeled.

"But where is my cousin?" she asked.

"I don't see his body or the mage's," replied Ricard, lowering his weapon. "It's possible they were taken captive or killed elsewhere."

"Then we should look for them," stated Mardred, "They must still be alive."

Ricard began to argue, but was interrupted when an arrow buried itself in the dirt where the human had been standing just a moment earlier.

"Ambush!" said Leshanna, as she stepped back to the cover of the wagon to prep a spell. Ricard whirled around and readied his weapon as a short, ugly green humanoid emerged from the thickets wielding a wicked looking scimitar and wooden shield. Darius in turn, drew his own blade, a wondrous longsword forged of steel and expertly crafted, set with rubies and emeralds.

The goblin closed in on the warrior and swung with its sharp weapon, but struck only his shield, bouncing its sword arm back. Darius retaliated with a quick thrust and buried the sword's point in the goblin's chest. It gurgled and fell at his feet. A second goblin appeared on the other side of the trail, causing Mardred to warn: "They're coming from both sides. We're surrounded!"

Two more arrows flew from either side of the forest and Ricard charged off into the brush, seeking the archer. The other goblin that had exposed himself set his sights on the mage, Leshanna, and rapidly closed the distance. The elf cast a shower of sparks that dazed the creature and Darius dealt the humanoid a blow to the head with the hilt of his sword, knocking it senseless.

A scream from the left side indicated that Ricard had found his quarry. The last goblin, clearly realizing he was outnumbered, broke his cover and attempted to flee only to be faced with Mardred, who lowered her hammer with a mighty blow, easily crushing the goblin's skull.

"Looks like the last of them," observed Ricard, rejoining his companions on the road.

"There's still one left," chimed in Alton, pointing to the unconscious goblin. "Poor blight's going to have a headache when he wakes."

"If he wakes," corrected Mardred, turning to the halfling she added, "And where were you? I didn't see you slaying any goblins."

The halfling grinned smugly. "You all seemed to have it under control," he replied offhandedly.

"Be that as it may," countered Mardred, "You were hired to protect the shipment, not watch your comrades do it for you."

"As I did, ma'am," the halfling replied cheekily, "I sat here and guarded the wagon."

Mardred was stunned, the halfing had won the argument. Giving up, she turned to the unfortunate goblin and Darius standing over him. "Good work, Archyr, maybe we can get some information out of our friend here and learn where my cousin is," she commended.

Archyr nodded, "Sure, yeah, that was my plan."

Mardred prodded the goblin with her boot until it stirred and woke up with a groggy groan. Fear crossed its face as it perceived the party standing over him. "All right, whelp, you're going to answer some questions for us, understand?" said Mardred.

The goblin frantically nodded.

"Good. First, there was a dwarf and human riding some horses slain by your friends's arrows. Where are they?"

"Alive," it managed. "They alive."

Mardred expressed relief for a moment before her face hardened once more. "Where are you keeping them?"

"In hideout," it confessed.

"Where?"

The goblin didn't seem to want to answer. Mardred brandished her warhammer. "I suggest you answer," she warned.

The goblin trembled and whimpered for a moment before pointing in a northerly direction. "There. Not far, not far," it assured.

"Take us there."

Once again, the goblin tightened his lips and shook his grotesque head. "No, no. Can't. Boss kill me."

"And you think I won't?"

"Please. Spare me," it pleaded.

"Take me to your base."

"Please," it sobbed. "Bog want live."

Mardred turned away. She wanted nothing more than to crush its pathetic skull, but didn't have the heart for it. "Fine. If he won't take us, kill him," she commanded.

Ricard nodded, "As you command, Warden."

"No!" cried the goblin as the human's sword severed it head from its shoulders. Darius looked away, feeling as if he should've argued for the goblin. True, it was a monster and had attacked them, possibly even abducted Gardain and his companion, but all people deserved fair treatment. But it was too late now.

"So what do we do now?" asked Darius after a moment. "Do we finish delivering the goods or seek out this hideout?"

His question hung in the air as it was directed at Mardred. the dwarf wanted to immediately find her cousin, but Darius was right, they did have an obligation to fulfill. And, Gardain was still alive according to the goblin, but for how long and for what reason? After a moment, she decided to pass off the decision to the group. "What do you think Ricard? Leshanna?"

Ricard grimaced taciturnly. "I think we should deliver the supplies, then return with aid from the village. The villagers will likely be willing to help rescue your cousin, plus, doesn't he have a brother in town? If his name carries some weight, then at least we'll have someone to aid us."

Leshanna considered her answer a bit more before giving her advice. "It would seem they are keeping your cousin for reasons yet unknown, whether for ransom or some other foul reason I know not. I say we should immediately set out to rescue him. However there is the cart to consider. We could tie it up and follow the goblins's trail, or one of us could finish delivering the goods while the rest begin the rescue mission."

Mardred liked the elf's idea, particularly the last one. "Good idea," she told her. "I'll finish delivering the supplies and the rest of you can look for a trail to the hideout. I'll tell Vondal what happened and bring him back along with any villagers who want to help."

"Then it's decided," finished Darius firmly. "You'll take the cart and me, Ricard, Leshanna, and Alton will find the goblins's base." Mardred nodded and climbed up to the driving seat while Alton climbed down.

"I shall return as soon as possible," she said as she snapped the reins to prompt the oxen to begin moving. Once the cart disappeared around the bend, Leshanna turned to her companions. "Perhaps we should investigate the saddlebags, they might hold a clue as to why the beasts kidnapped the dwarf and Sildar," she suggested and Ricard realized this was a good idea. A quick search revealed that the bags had been looted and anything of use or value had been taken.

"Well, not much left," noted Ricard, "It seems they were looking for something though."

Meanwhile, Alton had been scouting ahead and had found the trail. "Over here!" he called, "I found the trail."

Leshanna, Darius, and Ricard joined him. Freshly trampled weeds and grass indicated the goblins had indeed passed through here recently. "Good job, Alton," praised Leshanna. "Now we need to follow this trail and find their lair." With that, the four adventurers started to follow the trail, occasionally losing it or finding bits missing, but always finding it once more.

Only twenty feet away from the road, they discovered a snare when it looped itself around Darius's ankle and hauled him 10 feet in the air. "Damn it!" he swore as he struggled to reach the taut rope.

Leshanna stifled a giggle and Ricard attempted to get the noble to calm down. "There must be counterweight somewhere, just hang tight and relax. Oops, a bit of a pun you see?" he said smugly.

"Oh shut up and get me down!" shouted the unamused human.

Alton found the other side of the cord and easily cut it with his dagger. With a short cry, the human fell to the ground in a dusty heap, causing Ricard to laugh, Alton to giggle, and Leshanna to hide a demure smile. Other than a few minor bruises, the noble was fine and in a sour mood. "Thanks a lot, imp," he grumbled sarcastically.

"Hey, I got you down didn't I?" replied the halfling, bearing a smirk plastered to his face as he reappeared from behind the thick tree.

Darius growled angrily and stomped off in the lead. "Just watch out for any more goblin traps," warned Ricard, "I don't want to have to pull you out of a ten foot hole."

"Shut up!" repeated Darius. The other three companions followed the noble through the woods.


End file.
